There are indications that the All Progressives
Congress is uncomfortable with the May 28
handover date proposed by the out-going
administration.

Investigation by Saturday PUNCH revealed that
the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan and
the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.) are set to clash over a proposal by the
Jonathan team to hand over the mantle of
leadership to Buhari on May the 28th, instead of
the 29th.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the Buhari team
was already over what they considered as an act
of ill-will laced with sinister motives.
This is sequel to an announcement by the
Minister of Information, Senator Patricia
Akwashiki, that President Jonathan would
perform the handover ceremony at a dinner on
May 28.

Akwashiki made the announcement after
Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting.
She told journalists, “By May 28, the President
intends to have the formal handover done at a
dinner so that we can reserve May 29 for the
incoming government.”

However, since the return of democracy in 1999,
the traditional date for the handover of power
has been May 29, which is also observed as
Democracy Day.

This tradition has been the vogue for the past 16
years. It also presents an opportunity for the
outgoing President to formally present the
instrument of authority to his successor in the
full glare of members of the public, local and
international media, as well as foreign
dignitaries.

A top member of the All Progressives Congress,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because
he was not authorised to speak to the media
said, “It is simply not acceptable, we are
rejecting it, it is a trap.”

He explained that from a security point of view, it
could be considered a trap.

“How can anyone explain a situation where an
outgoing president and his team will
conveniently excuse themselves from an event
where they are supposed to play a role when the
President-elect and the Vice-President- elect are
supposed to be present?” he queried.

According to the party chieftain, power abhors a
vacuum as such, the constitution does not
envisage a situation where Nigeria will be
without a sitting President even for one hour.

He said, “If Jonathan hands over on the 28th,
who accounts for the hours before the morning
of the 29th when the Chief Justice of the
Federation is to administer the oath of office and
the oath of allegiance?

“What if there is even a sinister motive to this
whole saga? As the President of the nation; who
will still be the Chief Security officer until he
hands over, there is no excuse that is strong
enough to excuse him from the event.”

When contacted, a member of the Buhari
campaign team, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said while
he was not privy to any meeting on the subject
yet, it was only logical to ask Nigerians not to
rest on their oars until total liberation was
achieved.

He described the announcement by President
Jonathan to hand over a day earlier than was
due as a ploy to rubbish the gains made with the
historic win by the opposition APC.

Fashakin said, “It (the proposed handover on the
28th) portends ill for the political destiny of this
nation.

“That statement is loaded and it shows that the
Nigerian people should not rest yet that there is
still ominous signs which we should never take
for granted. If Jonathan truly said he is handing
over on the 28th it presupposes that he will be
absent on the 29th.

“Number one, if he hands over on the 28th to the
President-elect, does Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
start to act effectively on that date? The answer
is an emphatic NO.

“GMB does not start to act on that date, if you
get what I mean. Handing over to GMB on that
date is not only meaningless, it is stupid. It has
no meaning in law, or reality. It means that for
24 hours before GMB takes over there will be a
vacuum.”

He further argued that on the side of morality,
Nigeria borrowed its constitution substantially
from the American Constitution, and as such, it
should learn a thing or two about how it
operates.

He said there was never a time in recorded
history where an outgoing American President,
who is hale and hearty, will absent himself from
the handover ceremony of his successor no
matter their political differences.

Although, it is not yet clear how the Buhari team
would handle “this threat,” it was learnt that the
party’s legal team is being put on notice to be
on the alert.

It was also gathered that the President-elect and
his team have kept the issue of ministerial
appointments in abeyance.

A member of the party’s National Working
Committee, who pleaded for anonymity because
he was not authorised to speak to the media,
said, “The general is a meticulous person and we
all know that the main task before us now is the
transition committee. The issue of who will be
minister has been kept in abeyance.”

When contacted to speak on the president-
elect’s views on the handover date and
appointments, the APC National Publicity
Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, “You will
get our reaction later after due consultation.”
Attempts to speak with the Minister of
Information proved abortive. She was not in the
office when our correspondent visited. However,
the Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media,
Mr. Joseph Mutah, promised to get in touch with
her and revert to our correspondent.

He had yet to do that as of the time of going to
the press and when his mobile number was
called, he did not pick the call.

The Information Minister had also after the FEC
meeting said the President had directed all
Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prepare
their handover notes and submit them to the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation,
Pius Anyim, on or before Monday.

According to her, it is Anyim’s responsibility to
compile the notes, which will form Jonathan’s
handover document to Buhari on May 28.

She had said, “You know May 29 is our
Democracy Day. So, we have activities lined up
all through that week, showcasing all what we
have achieved and all other things we do
normally on our Democracy Day except that this
year is special with the inauguration of our new
President that is coming up on May 29.”

The minister said the valedictory FEC meeting
would hold on May 20, adding that everything
that required the President’s approval must have
been presented to him by May 13.

Meanwhile, two Senior Advocates of Nigeria,
Sebastian Hon and Joseph Nwobike, on Friday,
disagreed on the appropriateness of President
Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to hand over on
May 28 instead of May 29 when his four-year
tenure will statutorily end.

The two lawyers spoke with one of our
correspondents in separate telephone interviews.
Hon insisted that the best option was for the
President to hand over on May 29 as past
presidents had done.

But Nwobike said nothing was unconstitutional in
the president’s decision as handing over is a
process that would end with the inauguration of
the incoming president on May 29.

Nwobike said, “Handing over is a process and
not an event. So the paper work will be done on
May 28 and the formalisation and the completion
will occur on May 29. So there is clearly nothing
unconstitutional about it.”

But Hon queried the basis for the President’s
plan to hand over on May 28 as doing such on
May 29 as it is usually done would not affect the
nation’s democracy.

He said, “The best and the most appropriate
thing to do is for President Jonathan to hand
over at 12.01am of the morning of May 29,
2015.

“If he hands over before May 29, it means he is
no longer the president. He should hand over by
12.01am of May 29 or do as the usual practice
by 7am in the past. It will not be late if it is
done by 7am on the morning of May 29.

“Remember that all former presidents took over
on the morning of May 29. If he does that,
nobody will query him and the transition will not
be truncated.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/apc-rejects-may-28-handover-date/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook

Correct
Why can't they wait till 29 What's their plan

The FOOLS are just waking from their slumber . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

temitemi1:
The FOOLS are just waking from their slumber . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

Am suspecting this temitemi to be femi-fani kayode.....they have similarities in there level of stupidity

Its A Bad Copy Of A Good Idea

temitemi1:
The FOOLS are just waking from their slumber . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

Your stupidity and foolishness is legendary. You just post without making any sense, no wonder Fayose is your role model. Pathetic.

As long as they handover the earlier the better for me self.

May 29........... Sounds lyk a gud title 4 an action movie.


Ask Jamie Fox

Our constitution is also against it. PDP don't respect the constitution, they always feel they are above it. That's bad bro.....

hmmmm.... dier choice bt it changes nutin n xo I dnT gv a fvck...
abi dier rejection wud mk Jega conduct anoda election. ..

y cant dey just carry out d handova on d
29th as we all av come to know if dere isnt
smetin fishy.well since pdp is synonymous
to scam.then definitely they have
something up their sleeve.pdp pls do wat
is right

Some Nigerians wanted change, now they are lamenting cus Gej want to hand over so they can have the change sharply!! Nawa for nija oooooo

U do bad wahala...
U do good, na double wahala

Why the rush PDP?

i smell something fishy about May 28th

He should wait till may 29 why the rush to drop power

















I smell planned work that will fail soon

The right thing should be done.

I smell foul play from pdp. GEJ what are you up to.

yawns out loud

temitemi1:
The FOOLS are just waking from their slumber . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

Kashamu your mentor, Gani Adams your teacher.

y cant dey just carry out d handova on d 29th as we all av come to know if dere isnt smetin fishy.well since pdp is synonymous to scam.then definitely they have something up their sleeve.pdp pls do wat is right

I have heard people rant here that they wish its April 28

APC and their usual propagandistic strategies.

GEJ is showing that he is ready any day. If APC says May 29, still honour it, my guy.

I wouldn't know what would have happened if the proposal was on May, 30

Having a jamboree government = bad idea
This is a trap
Smelling fish

temitemi1:
The FOOLS are just waking from their slumber . GEJ my HERO! FAYOSE my ROLE MODEL!!

u in love with ffk?

#SayNoToOneChance

If APC refused to accept hand over from PDP on 28th, then I can help, just hand over the power to me, I hold it till May 29 when I properly hand over to GMB

Why are Nigerians so backward, dragging and suspecting every little thing, no wonder the country refuses to grow, the elites let the masses to dwell on silly things while they dwell on the serious ones, Buhari is the president elect whether the handover is on 28 or 1st April, please let's talk some other thing

APC is spot on with this one .. The handover ceremony always be in the presence of the chief justice.. If Gej handover to GMB on 28th at a dinner does that make GMB president.. NO!!!!!.. GEJ can hold a farewell dinner on 28 without Buhari and be at eagle square 29th to Handover and withness the swearing in ceremony

oismail:
Our constitution is also against it. PDP don't respect the constitution, they always feel they are above it. That's bad bro.....

What section of the constitution. ?

Anytin APC talk get good reason and I agree with them becus I no trust those PDP dem....sey BABA till 2019